Must Be Make Believe
by monogalya
Summary: Blake is beyond distraught and runs off to an island full of Grimm. Weiss searches for her and helps. They reminisce about their childhoods, when they dressed up together and lived in a place of make believe. Back then they were superheroes who saved the world and now they're Huntresses.


**always wanted to write for the monos, so here it is.**

 **editing? pffft. nervous laughter.**

* * *

1

Blake pulled the old beanie over her head, past her closed eyes. The soft fabric glided over her skin and rested on her cheeks. She opened her eyes and blinked. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was surprised the hat still fit. The cut-out holes fell around her eyes, allowing her to see through the mask. The sewed-on ears fit her Faunus traits snugly.

Blake beamed at her reflection as she wiggled her cat ears. Then it crossed her mind how strange it was. She rarely smiled at herself. Immediately her face unmade the grin. She turned the other way and tugged the mask off, tossed it back into the shoebox, closed the lid, and tucked it away on the highest shelf of her closet.

* * *

2

An alarm clock.

Blake reached over to stop the beeping. She sat on the edge of her mattress and stared at her window, noticing how the sunlight poured into her room. It shone through the cracks of her blinds and landed on certain regions of her messy room: the end of her bed where scattered clothes lay, the rumpled rug with a tea stain, the bookcase stocked with books that hadn't been touched in years...

She blinked, slowly waking up. She stood and began with her daily routine.

For breakfast, Blake boiled water and prepared a cup of tea for herself. While she waited for the tea to steep, her eyes scanned the mission boards projected onto the kitchen walls. Last week she completed an operation in the outskirts of Vale. Today she was searching for something somewhere else, somewhere far away, and she found it: an island off the coast of Mistral that mainland residents suspected was the source of all the recent Grimm attacks. Probably nothing but local fear mongers spreading rumors, but Blake decided to accept the mission regardless. She wanted the isolation.

Blake brought the mug of tea to her lips and drank. She gulped too eagerly and burned her tongue.

* * *

3

Blake hadn't expected the rumors to be true. There were creatures of Grimm all across the island, though some areas were more packed than others. The island never had any permanent residents, so Grimm roamed around freely, and from what Blake could tell, there was a diverse mix of Grimm species. Blake figured the only reason they could all inhabit the same small island together was because of the geography.

The island was beautiful, but not in the way other islands were. The typical desirable islands had sand that glowed and waters that sparkled in the sun. This island had mountains and valleys, woods and plains, hot springs and streams, all topped off with a layer of fog that blocked out the sun for a large portion of the day. Everything was green here, a stark contrast to all the red in Vale's Forever Fall. It was the kind of island Blake wished she could be on, especially on those nights when she drank a little too much and got a little too contemplative.

Blake shook her thoughts away as her eyes landed on approaching Grimm, quickly reminded of her true purpose here.

* * *

4

Blake knew she was supposed to send updates back to Mistral. She was supposed to report that the island was full of Grimm, ask for backup if needed, and wait for further instructions, but she didn't.

It had been a week and she hadn't contacted anyone since she got to the island. She barely picked up her scroll.

This wasn't how she usually functioned. She normally followed the basic rules so that she could be as efficient a Huntress as possible. But Blake couldn't help breaking the rules. It's just... this island was paradise. Everything here was a thing of beauty. The abundance of Grimm was the only downside, but it was manageable. The creatures kept their distance. They didn't attack her, they didn't bother her at all. If the creatures of Grimm were tame, even during her bouts of loneliness and sorrow, there's no way the rules applied here. And everything Blake had imagined paradise would be like... it was here. She felt free, peaceful, content. Strange how she needed to be isolated on an island full of Grimm in order to feel that satisfaction.

The past five days had been dream-like. She explored. She started with the forests and then she reached the cliffs. She wandered around with her arms raised over her sides, making sure to keep her balance as she put one foot in front of the other, occasionally peering over her shoulders to look at the view. It was the edge of the island. There was a small beach below, but most of the cliffs hung over the ocean. The breeze, the ocean, the crisp air, they all reminded her of home. The thought gave her warmth, but it was fleeting as she knew it was better not to go back.

* * *

5

Blake heard the Grimm screeching in the background. She shot up from her spot on a tree branch, snapping out of her slumber. Fear built in her chest, it was a familiar feeling.

Blake leapt off the branch and ran towards the cries. The Grimm were usually quiet on the island. Occasionally some in the sky would screech and others would howl, but those were normal activities. The Grimm sounded distressed, and it worried Blake.

Blake swung herself to the rocky beginnings of a mountain. She remembered trekking here two days ago and finding lots of Ursai. She focused on her hearing and crept closer to what sounded like a fight. She heard the Ursai growling and the sound of a metal sword moving. Blake's ears twitched. There was a click and a whir, an unmistakable combination.

Blake launched herself up onto the next rock and an Ursa flew past, barely missing her. She looked ahead. She was right.

Weiss was in battle, Myrtenaster in her left hand. Glyphs lined the rocks and Weiss streaked towards Ursa after Ursa, her feet ghosting over ground. In no time at all, she knocked them all off the mountain. They evaporated before they hit the ground. Myrtenaster whirred one last time and the glow of Dust faded from the sword.

* * *

6

"You accepted a mission on an island _full_ of Grimm and you came _alone_? What were you thinking? Look at this place! Did you not see the flock of Giant Nevermore circling the island?"

The concern was obvious in Weiss's demanding voice. Blake shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "I—"

Weiss cut her off. "You completely disregarded protocol. Your last update was merely to report your arrival on the island. After that, you went dark. Look!" Weiss waved her scroll in Blake's face. "No contact at all. Do you have any idea—"

Blake swatted the scroll away. "Okay, Weiss. You've proved your point."

Weiss huffed. "You are so unprofessional. We're Huntresses, Blake. We're supposed to keep proper form."

"You're not always in 'proper form' either," Blake pointed out.

"Hey!"

"I'm stating a fact."

"Well I for one would never go out of contact for as long as you did. Not a single update in two weeks. The only reason I came to this awful island was because I was worried about you. How did you manage to stay here for this long?"

Blake pressed her lips together. She could attempt to explain, but Weiss wasn't quick to accept bizarre ideas. She wouldn't understand, Blake told herself.

Weiss sighed and her grip on Myrtenaster loosened. "It's the tuna, isn't it?"

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

Weiss turned to the east. "The sea has an abundance of fish. That's why you couldn't leave, right?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile."

"It must be. You've been alone on this island for weeks, killing the Grimm."

There was a silence. "You were, weren't you?"

Blake decided not to answer. She spun around and started walking.

"Don't ignore me." Weiss returned Myrtenaster to its place on her hip. "Where are you going?"

"I've worked up an appetite. I want tuna."

"So I was right about the tuna." Weiss sped walked to catch up to Blake. "This qualifies as a serious addiction."

"I am not addicted."

"Don't deny it, Blake." Weiss's tone was light, not demanding, and Blake couldn't bring herself to get mad or even clench her fists. "Your ears give it away."

Blake stopped walking. "Huh?"

"So you weren't aware of it. Actually, that doesn't surprise me in the least."

Blake stared at Weiss. "What are you talking about?"

"Your ears make it very easy for others to gauge your reactions," Weiss explained. "Every time 'tuna' is mentioned your ears raise a little."

Blake watched as Weiss mimicked her ear movements with her pale hands. She instantly became exponentially more self-conscious about her Faunus traits.

"It's quite adorable," Weiss said with an absentminded smile.

* * *

7

Blake bent Gambol Shroud into gun form. She and Weiss were standing on the beach, the sea before them, the sand beneath their bare feet, and the cliffs to their backs.

Weiss raised Myrtenaster and cast a glyph that launched her onto one of the rocks behind them. She stood at her new vantage point and scanned the sea. Using her glyphs, she lured some fish closer to the surface of the water. When Blake saw them, she flung Gambol Shroud, pierced the fish, then pulled back, snapping the gun back to her with the fish attached.

That's how they got food for the rest of the day. They had a system that worked.

But unluckily for Weiss, the system was the reason that she fell into the sea.

Immediately Blake rushed to the water and found Weiss gasping for air, sputtering. Her hair was sopping wet and threatening to fall out of its usual swaying ponytail. Blake couldn't help but giggle at the sight, but Weiss's threatening Ice Queen scowl frightened Blake enough to help Weiss out of the water.

"Let's not continue this. We have enough fish," Weiss grumbled.

"Of course, yea, you're right. We should go," Blake said, still shaking with laughter. "Besides, it's getting dark."

"Will you please stop laughing?"

No, Blake thought to herself. Not when Weiss looked that cute pouting.

* * *

8

Blake started the fire and immediately Weiss scooted closer, hoping to warm her hands. Blake removed her coat and draped it over Weiss's shoulders.

"Thanks," Weiss murmured. She inspected the long, white coat and laughed. "You were absolutely against capes when you were a child."

With her hairdo misshapen and her combat skirt drooping, Weiss didn't appear to be in perfect form, but she still looked unbelievably pretty. Especially when she laughed like that. Not the reserved chortle she hid behind her hand. Not the forced smile Blake's seen her pull off at countless events, meetings, and galas. It was genuine and brilliant, enough to make Blake's heart miss a beat and her mind go blank. She snapped back to reality.

"That's not a cape."

"It's not exactly a cape," Weiss admitted. "But it's long and it trails behind you. I recall, when you were a toddler, and we were hand making those superhero costumes, you declared that you would never wear a cape because it could easily be caught or entangled."

Blake was amazed by how much Weiss remembered. It was a nice surprise, she supposed.

"I believe you also said that they didn't look as majestic as those who donned them thought them to," Weiss added. "So I'm assuming you've altered your stance on capes."

"It's not a cape," Blake repeated. "And no, I still stand by what I said. People who wear capes look dumb."

"I disagree. Some people manage to pull off the look." Weiss gestured with her hand. "Ruby certainly does."

Blake nodded and admitted that yes, their fellow Huntress looked lovely in her red cape. "Her uncle too. Maybe it runs in the family."

Weiss frowned. "Several things run in the family, recklessness being one of them, but Qrow Branwen does not look good with his dusty, filthy, tattered cape."

Blake was thoroughly unamused. "Your sister's disdain for him is seriously clouding your judgement."

"It is not!"

* * *

9

"I organized my closet in Atlas a few days before I received an alert that _someone_ went missing," Weiss announced.

Blake looked away, embarrassed, and fixed her eyes on the fire. Weiss simply smiled and continued.

"Most of the items had been untouched for years. At the bottom of the closet was a backpack from the daycare camp in Vale. Want to guess what I found in it?"

Blake thought of a generic camp activity. "Friendship bracelets?"

"No. I found my superhero costume."

Blake drew back slightly. That was unexpected. Blake kept her costume for sentimental reasons. Her childhood was important to her, all of the effort Weiss put into making her costume mattered to her, _Weiss_ mattered to her, so she held onto the complete superhero costume all of these years, but Weiss? Blake kind of expected Weiss to throw it out in the trash and dismiss her childhood, because that's what it was, childish. But she didn't. All these years, the costume was in her closet, forgotten and lost, but still there.

Weiss misinterpreted Blake's silence. "What's wrong? You didn't throw yours away right?"

Blake grinned. "Are you talking about those costumes that made us look like a pair of low-budget superheroes?"

"Hey! I put a lot of effort into making those when I was little. I sewed everything myself."

"I'm aware of that, Weiss. I was only joking."

Weiss glared at her. " _Ha ha_ , very funny."

"I kept my costume. It is very special to me, and I would never throw it away."

"Really? You kept it, even after all these years?"

Blake nodded. "I put the mask on from time to time."

Weiss giggled. "Does it still fit?"

"Barely. It's snug."

Weiss laughed again, and Blake felt warmth from head to toe, and she knew it wasn't only because of the fire.

* * *

10

Blake's eyes lingered on the pile of fish bones by Weiss's side. She had almost teared up when Weiss patted her stomach at the end of the meal and said "that hits the spot" with a satisfied smile. She had come so far, was drastically different from her childhood self. Weiss had her eyes closed, content with all the tasty fish in her stomach and the warmth the fire provided. She looked happy, and at peace, as if this was exactly where she wanted to be, and simply knowing that Weiss was happy made Blake warm and content.

Weiss actually fell asleep, just sitting by the fire after the filling meal, the ghost of her smile still lingering on her face. Blake felt like a creep for staring at Weiss, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept, but the rhythm was soothing. Rise, fall. Inhale, exhale. Deep breath in, and release it.

Blake dug out a sleeping bag from Weiss's stuff and tucked her in. Then, she took out her own sleeping bag and fell asleep as well soon after.

* * *

11

"Come on, Blake. There has to be someone."

Blake shook her head. She had her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.

"Stop being so stubborn. I was your classmate, your teammate, and, most importantly, your friend!" Weiss shifted closer to Blake and leaned in close. "You can tell me anything."

Blake stared back into Weiss's expectant eyes. The scar was more visible up close. It didn't make her ugly, didn't make her any less pretty. Her beauty shined through and the scar didn't do anything to prevent that. A beat passed before Blake could reply.

"There's nothing to tell."

Weiss glared at her and Blake immediately wished she could grab a book and run away to read in solitude.

* * *

12

"I don't regularly search for people to be with," Blake finally said during their hike up the tallest mountain on the island. "It's never been a priority for me to be in love."

"Sounds like you," Weiss called out after her.

Blake was a wuss and couldn't bring herself to say all of this out loud, face to face with Weiss, so naturally she took advantage of their current situation: Blake was leading the way, Weiss trailing behind by a few steps.

"It's always been about Faunus for me. You already know that. Becoming a Huntress, being a part of the White Fang… it was all about fighting for equality. I didn't have time for romance. I didn't have time for any fun at all."

"Seriously, no kidding. I still remember the time Sun tried to get you to go to the dance," Weiss started to say.

Blake grimaced at the thought. Not that Weiss could see it happening.

"But it all turned out fine. You had a good time. You danced with Yang and Sun, you..."

Blake sighed. As Weiss continued listing the night's events Blake felt the guilt settle in, pile up, and engulf her; it was drowning her. She felt ashamed because she barely remembered anything Weiss was saying. Only the fact that Weiss mentioned these events allowed Blake to refresh her memory. The truth was, Blake recalled the mission after the dance, not the dance itself. She recalled stopping the train, fighting all the Grimm, arresting Torchwick, but not listening to Neptune's stories, or watching JNPR dance, 75% of the team wearing dresses. Ironic how she felt the most guilt when Weiss was trying to remind her of the fun she had to make her feel better.

"Blake. Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Blake spun around. Weiss was frowning, a hand on her hip.

"You space out very often," Weiss pointed out with a blunt tone but without the intention of hurting Blake. "I said, you have time now. Why aren't you looking for love?"

"What do you expect me to do? Try speed dating?" Blake said, voice as sardonic as ever. "Those methods rarely get substantial results. I'd rather wait for someone worthwhile if such a person exists."

After a short silence, Weiss asked: "Don't you get lonely waiting?"

Her voice was quiet. Blake took note of that. Weiss's voice was almost never so close to a whisper.

"Yes," was Blake's reply.

"Well you don't have to be alone."

Blake hugged her arms. "I know."

* * *

13

What they found at the top of the mountain was an anomaly in all the green on the island. It was a tree with leaves that were completely white.

Blake gently touched the trunk. "It's a wonder."

Weiss seemed less impressed. "It's quite tall, I'll admit that much."

Blake ignored Weiss. "It's also sturdy. Shouldn't be too difficult to climb it."

"Ahem." Weiss's tone went from delicate to bewildered. "Who said anything about climbing it?"

Blake was already silently making her way to one of the lower branches. She didn't check to see if Weiss was following, but by the sounds she heard, or lack thereof, she assumed Weiss wasn't climbing up.

Blake reached the top, the beautiful, breathtaking top. She took in the view. Like she was a bird gliding over the island, she could see the land in its entirety from her vantage point.

"Weiss," she said. "You should—"

But before she could finish her sentence, she heard the tinkling sound of a glyph being created and within a second, Weiss launched herself to a spot next to Blake. Except, maybe Weiss forgot something or wasn't particularly focused because as soon as she got to Blake's altitude, her glyph vanished and she dropped with a yelp.

Blake reacted immediately. She swung swiftly towards Weiss, caught her outstretched hand, and carefully lowered her onto a sturdy branch.

"Next time, make a plan to stay in the air."

"I was planning to stay in the air," Weiss said as she crossed her arms.

"Really?" Blake replied, not believing her one bit. "How so?"

"I—"

Weiss never finished her statement, whatever she intended to say, but Blake had enough self-control to refrain from teasing.

Instead, she turned her attention back to the view and Weiss soon followed suit. Blake hoped Weiss saw the beauty she did in every corner of the island. She hoped Weiss would appreciate the land and acknowledge that it was more than just a Grimm-infested area. She hoped Weiss would change her mind.

* * *

14

"You don't want to go back?"

"Not at the moment."

Weiss recoiled. Blinked as if trying to figure something out.

"I've been on this island for weeks and I've settled in. I like it here."

"And I travelled to this island to find you. I was supposed to check that you were safe and bring you back to Vale, where last I checked, is where you permanently reside. You live in Vale, not on this island."

Blake waited for her to finish. "I'm only considering staying here for a short period of time. I need to sort things out before I go back to the normal world."

"The normal world? What do you mean by that?"

"Things are different here. It's nothing like the mainlands."

"How so?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Blake's arms were outstretched. It was obvious to her, but clearly not to Weiss. "Couldn't you tell from that day we stood atop that tree? Couldn't you tell that the Grimm are not the same here?"

This really took Weiss by surprise, it was visible in her expression. Blake sighed.

"The Grimm do not attack, they don't even acknowledge your presence unless you charge at them first. On an island so full of Grimm, very few have fought us." Blake studied Weiss's expression. "Did you seriously not realize?"

Weiss crossed her arms and neither of them said anything for awhile.

"You're obviously avoiding your problems," Weiss declared.

Blake's ears immediately perked up and she glared at Weiss. "What?"

"You think you can ignore your troubles because you're here on this island that's cut off from the rest of Remnant."

"Well maybe I need the time alone to think about my life!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "And how long is that going to take?"

Blake's fists were clenched. "I already told you. It won't be long."

Weiss huffed. "It's been weeks since you first came here. You have had plenty of time to yourself, but I don't think you've figured out anything."

"I think I have."

"And what do you think you've figured out?"

Blake had an internal debate with herself. Be brave or hide.

Weiss was waiting for an answer.

Be brave. No, run.

Blake ran.

* * *

15

Choosing to run bought Blake more time. A couple more days with Weiss to talk about her problems. "Her problems" somewhat translated to "their problems" because they were rooted in the hopes, dreams, and expectations they held when they were children. And because Weiss had experienced the same issues as well at some point. The bottom line was, being a Huntress was not as spectacular as they dreamed it would be. They were not superheroes. Or, they were not the superheroes they wanted to be. Life threw unexpected obstacles at them and Blake let her troubles get to her so much that she simply could not handle her life and had to get away.

Blake was in a weird rare place where she allowed herself to verbalize all of her concerns, which honestly didn't make sense because she was sharing the locked away secrets she kept to herself with someone else, and that someone else was Weiss Schnee.

"I have always had the mindset that my life should be purposeful. There's injustice in the world and I need to be actively correcting that," Blake said as she stared at the sparks that flickered around the tips of the fire they built. "I honestly believed that if I followed this, my path for life would be clear and well-lit. If I didn't have purpose, if the path wasn't clear, if I wasn't doing enough for what I believed in, then there was no point in living this life."

Blake paused to sigh. She was sure that if she didn't sigh, if she didn't let out that shaky breath, she would break down into a sobbing mess. She didn't want to cry in front of Weiss at the moment, so she let out that wobbly sigh. "And right now, I don't think that I'm doing enough."

Weiss's eyes widened at that and Blake realized that she should have expected that. She did mention not wanting to live after all.

Unexpectedly, Weiss moved to sit closer to Blake. Almost shoulder to shoulder. Close, almost there. Blake altered her breathing.

"I think we were both utterly underwhelmed by the Huntress lifestyle," Weiss said. "To be fair, we were naive children back then. We had no idea how disappointed we would be."

Weiss laughed to herself, vaguely swaying away from Blake in the process, and despite how slight the movement had been, Blake still felt the change. A warmth that was there by her arm disappeared, was taken away, for a few seconds until Weiss wasn't laughing anymore and she drifted back to her original position. Arms nearly brushing one another. Blake felt her heat once more.

"I mean, we thought we were going to be superheroes. We made costumes."

"You made costumes," Blake couldn't help but correct.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine. We wore costumes. We thought our lives would be magical."

"But they weren't."

"Life isn't perfect. Everyone has their own struggles," Weiss said. "But I think it's also important for you to acknowledge that everyone has their own duties, too. There are things that you swore to do and you have to keep your promise."

"I know," Blake said. "But sometimes it's difficult."

Problems got in the way, stress and personal issues set in and weighed her down. Her duty was stashed away at times, often replaced by a night at the bar and the one-time company of a pretty girl.

"This island will not solve your problems," Weiss stated, speaking as if the sentence was a definite and known truth.

Before Blake could reply, Weiss continued.

"You can't throw away one life and pick up a new one. Sooner or later the old one will catch up to you."

"How would you know?"

"I tried to throw my life in Atlas away, didn't I?"

Blake looked away. Right. How could she forget that Weiss tried to run away from her elite life when she was much younger than Blake was now?

"I ran, but that didn't stop my father's calls, my frequent run-ins with his associates, and the constant reminders to call home," Weiss said. "Your life isn't perfect, but that does not mean that you should forget your duties and responsibilities and run from your problems."

Weiss looked around and shook her head. "Especially not to this island," she said as an afterthought and Blake chuckled.

The conversation was a downer but her comment lightened the mood a bit and Blake was grateful. She reached for Weiss's hand on impulse. Weiss didn't shy away and Blake found that it was easier to breathe now, with Weiss's hand in hers, the smoking fire providing her with warmth, and the night sky so black she could stare at it and think about nothing and clear her mind for once.

* * *

16

Weiss told her that it was her own decision, whether or not she would stay or go. She said that she did all the persuading she could.

And Weiss was gone by the time Blake woke up in the morning. She left without goodbyes, without a note or any message for Blake. Left Blake to make a decision alone.

Blake stayed for one more day. She took her time saying her goodbyes to the island because she would never forget its beauty and the temporary help it offered.

* * *

17

Settling back into life wasn't too easy. Part of it was acknowledging the aspects of her life that weren't so great. The pain. The loneliness. Hardly anyone noticed or cared that she was gone for weeks. Weiss did, though, and Weiss acted on that.

Blake was at the bar, not for the usual reasons. She was treating herself because of a mission that went well. It was a small victory. Blake was able to return to a state of completing missions and allowing herself to feel good about doing so, letting herself even feel proud of her work at times. It helped work towards feeling satisfied with her occupation as a Huntress. It was an improvement.

"They said you were usually here on Fridays," someone said.

Blake recognized that voice. She spun around just to make sure.

"Weiss," she said. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer her question. Instead she said, "I'm relieved you chose to come back."

Blake surprised herself by smiling. "Yea, me too."

And that started the conversation they had over a couple drinks. They caught up on each other's lives. Weiss tried to make several bad (cute) puns. Blake held back from telling her to stop with her attempts. They reflected on their time on the island and Weiss checked up on her.

"Are you doing better?"

"Yea, I think so."

"You think?"

"Handling problems like these doesn't happen quickly. I can't fix my life that quickly," Blake said, "but it's happening. Gradually."

Again, Blake gave Weiss a slight smile, and Weiss returned it.

"Good," she said. "I'm glad it's happening."

"Me too."

They stared for a couple seconds, the air between them quiet but the sounds of music playing in the background and people around them chatting filling their ears.

In an effort to maybe not look directly at Weiss, Blake's eyes wandered to her legs, then the bar stool she was sitting on, and saw the bag resting on the floor. People didn't usually walk into bars with bags that large.

"What's in that?"

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

"The bag."

"Oh. Um," Weiss said as she picked it up. "I have my superhero costume with me."

Blake wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Why?"

Weiss fiddled around with her glass and looked anywhere but at Blake, who was waiting patiently for her response. Weiss ran her thumb across the bottom of the now-empty glass, thinking, processing, picking and choosing her words. Finally, she turned to face Blake.

"I spent a fair amount of time thinking about our conversations on the island," Weiss said. Then she looked to the side for a moment. "It's strange how we talk about the island, as if it was an alternate universe, or something of that sort."

Blake craved the absentminded smile that broke across Weiss's face as she made that side comment. She missed it, hadn't seen it in awhile.

"Anyways," Weiss cleared her throat and returned to her main point, "I think we should be partners. We should be together, always. We could be Huntresses working side by side, kind of like the superheroes we always said we would be. What do you think?"

Blake didn't know what she was thinking. She was paralyzed, frozen.

Together, always. Together, always.

She repeated those words in her mind over and over, and it brought her back, her bones began to thaw. As soon as she could move again, she reached for her glass and finished everything that was left in her cup as Weiss watched silently with concern and apprehension in her expression.

Blake placed the glass back onto the bar and sighed. Stared at the wall for several counts, trying to process everything. Weiss asked if they could be partners, which meant spending more time with her. They worked well together, they fit, Blake thought. They were a perfect fit, Blake was sure of it. She always thought that Weiss was the one, if such a person existed for her.

All right. She decided and exhaled, pushing herself away from the bar table, not saying a word to Weiss.

* * *

18

Blake ran back into the bar, only to find Weiss's bar stool empty and the bag with the costume gone. Her grasp on her own bag tightened.

Okay, she could still be here, Blake told herself.

She marched up to the bar and asked the bartender about Weiss.

"She went to the bathroom," he told her.

Relieved, Blake thanked him and sped towards the bar's bathroom. She rushed in and used too much force to push the worn bathroom door. It swung open violently and someone shrieked.

"Watch it!" Weiss shouted. "Do you have any idea who you—"

Weiss spun around and her glaring eyes widened as she recognized Blake. Her expression softened. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

Blake shook her head. "I ran to get my costume," she said as she pulled on her beanie mask.

Weiss stared as Blake fastened on her cape, pulled on a pair of too-tight gloves, and she giggled as Blake wiggled her ears around the snug beanie.

"Your ears are still so adorable," she mumbled.

Blake rolled her eyes. "Put on yours," she urged.

In no time, they returned to their younger selves, wearing costumes that brought back memories, hopes, dreams, make believe, nostalgia. Huntresses that saved the world, that flew away to faraway lands, lands free of all their troubles. They were both staring at their reflections in the graffiti covered bathroom mirror and smiling. They looked ridiculous, of course, but it felt right being next to each other, looking foolish together.

"I'm assuming this means that you're not rejecting my offer?" Weiss said.

"Hm?"

"When you left, I thought your answer was no, but..."

Weiss trailed off when Blake reached for her hand and interlaced their fingers.

"I'm with you," Blake replied, sure and promising.

* * *

 **inspiration creds:**

Seafret, songs + videos: Oceans, Atlantis

"Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" by Nam Le: "If you ask me why I came to Iowa, I would say that Iowa is beautiful in the way that any place is beautiful: if you treat it as the answer to a question you're asking yourself every day, just by being there."


End file.
